Sumo- A 失敗 (Shippai) Japanese Experience

After several months of waiting, I finally managed to try out Sumo, the Japanese fusion eatery located in DHA. Situated snuggly above Mandarin Kitchen, I was expecting to be blown away after reading rave reviews of Sumo on various online food groups and in Sunday magazines.

Sumo is on first floor, above Mandarin Kitchen

Having arrived at 11pm, after having attended a Qawaali musical night out, the restaurant welcomed us in warmly and gave us great seating next to the front window.

For a few seconds, I felt like as if I were sitting in a restaurant somewhere in London. That feeling was merely a mirage as everything went downhill from here on.

We were given a welcome drink, which was basically Perrier and 7-up, with a lot of sugar in it. It didn’t really hit the spot as we were coming in from the cold weather outside. Maybe this welcome drink will work in the scorching summer heat.

They go back as far as 1990, and aim to provide a “truly contemporary Japanese experience.”

From the small plates menu, we ordered the Edamame and Chili Calamari Salad. The Edamame, I ordered purely with the aim to relive my sushi experience at Sushi Samba in London, and yes, I truly did enjoy these Japanese beans. The Calamari salad, however, was a very average affair. Nothing to write home about.

Edamame- My fav thing all evening!Calamari Salad

From the Sushi menu, we ordered Angus Beef Tataki and Crunchy Maki Tempura. On their own, both these dish were satisfactory and we enjoyed them. They tasted just fine but didn’t have the wow factor that one expects with the hefty prices. However, if we start comparing these dish to the sushi we’ve had from proper, authentic Japanese restaurants, then they fail miserably. I was reminded that Sumo is a Japanese-Fusion restaurant, so hence the taste not being entirely authentic.

Crunchy Maki Tempura

Angus Beef Tataki

The real disaster happened when the Hibachi Chicken arrived. Bland, tasteless and full of oil, this dish was merely inedible. I had it because I was hungry, otherwise, I think I would have not eaten it at all. It made me think whether the restaurant was recycling their leftovers or not (mind you, it was almost midnight by the time the main course arrived).

What could go worse? The complimentary dessert. It baffles me that the eatery would actually serve their customers with a fruit trifle, which is as Pakistani as a dessert you can get. Not good. For a restaurant like Sumo, that claims to provide a Japanese experience, this dessert totally ruins the Japanese experience.

The Ultimate Pakistani Dessert in a Japanese Restaurant! Hah!

The total bill for two persons came out to be Rs. 6345/- A rather pricey place to be for average food at the most.

Comment Card– They didn’t give any option below average! Sigh!

I know I may seem a little harsh here. As my friend and I were recalling our sushi experiences in restaurants in the US and UK, we felt like Sumo failed on many levels.

So here’s the deal: if you are used to having proper sushi from eateries abroad (for me personally, my sushi experience at Sushi Samba was more than awesome!), then Sumo will disappoint you, and if your sushi experience is limited to Pakistan (Wasabi, Fujiyama etc), then you will like Sumo. As for me, this was my first and last visit.